Meridian Park Veterinary Hospital

Portland Area Parvo Outbreak
A Parvo outbreak has been recognized in the Portland and Gresham areas after a deceased dog discovered in a dumpster tested positive for Parvo during routine testing by Mulnomah County Animal Services. Three additional cases have been identified. This time of year is the beginning of “Parvo Season”; however, MCAS reports that this amount of cases this early is highly unusual.

What is Parvo? Parvovirus is an extrememly contagious disease transmitted through ingestion of infected feces or vomit. It is most commonly contracted by unvaccinated puppies and dogs by licking their feet after walking through contaminated soil. Since Parvovirus is highly contagious and tends to stay in the environment (soil, clothing, food dishes, etc.) for 5 months or longer, it is extremely important to vaccinate all dogs for the disease. Any areas suspected to be contaminated should be thoroughly cleaned with bleach.

Symptoms typically include:
lethargy
severe diarrhea and vomiting
in some cases, cardiac problems

Since dogs with Parvo tend to have profuse vomiting and diarrhea, oral medications are not an option. Hospitalization with IV fluids, antibtiotics, and other medications are necessary. This treatment can last from five days to two weeks and can be very expensive; without treatment, Parvo can be deadly.

It is important that dog owners to keep puppies and dogs at home until they have received the full parvo vaccinations series (usually a first vaccine at 8 weeks of age, followed by 2 to 3 monthly boosters). Adult dogs typically received an initial vaccine with a booster two weeks later. If you’re not sure if your dog has had the vaccine or would like more information, call us at 503-692-3300.

With dog parks, holiday pet parades, and pet boutiques galore, Lake Oswego is one of the most pet-friendly towns around! MPVH is here to keep Lake Oswego pets happy and healthy so they can enjoy all the pet perks that Lake Oswego has to offer.

We now give Lake O pet parents even more peace of mind in two new ways!

1.  Our new Healthy Paws program

2. Meridian Park Veterinary Hospital is partnering with Paws 4 Perks to give P4P members exclusive discounts on premium veterinary care for their pets. Lori, The Groomer at Meridian Park, is also participating in the program with discounts to keep your dog or cat looking their best!

If you are looking for a Veterinarian near Lake Oswego Oregon, come visit Meridian Park Veterinary Hospital or give us a call at 503-692-3300 to schedule an appointment today!

Keywords: Animal Hospital Lake Oswego Oregon, Veterinarian Lake Oswego Oregon, Dog Groomer Lake Oswego Oregon

MPVH is excited to reveal our new Healthy Paws program! We now offer 12 months of UNLIMITED office visits for all pets in your household for just $149.99! In addition, you will receive 10% off all services and vaccines*!

The importance of wellness exams is paramount to the health and longevity of your pet. Dogs and cats age on average 7 times faster than humans and diseases can progress rapidly. Therefore, we have a shorter window of opportunity for disease detection and treatment. This is especially true for older patients. Even if your pet seems healthy, it is imperative to keep up with regular preventative healthcare to ensure that your pet stays healthy and happy.

*Some restrictions apply. Visit our office for details.

Boomer (grey and white tabby, ~12 months old) and Moxie (all black, ~5 months old)

Meet Boomer and Moxie! They are former barn cats. Both have been neutered and are up-to-date on their vaccinations. Both Boomer and Moxie are VERY affectionate and have made their transition to indoor-living extremely well. In fact, we think they prefer it!

What else makes Boomer and Moxie SO special?  They have both been recently diagnosed with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). Because of this diagnosis, they cannot be reintroduced to their former barn cat families for both their health and health of the rest of the feline population.

To learn more about FIV visit  “What is FIV?” under Pet Health Tips!

It is now even MORE important to use a heartworm preventative, such as Revolution, Heartgard, and Iverhart Maxx, each month. The ONLY treatment for heartworms, Immiticide, is unavailable due to “technical issues” that will affect the ability of Merial to produce the finished product.

The American Heartworm Society: Guidance for Heartworm Disease Management During the Adulticide Unavailability

Background
August 9, 2011: The American Heartworm Society became aware of a pending product unavailability of the only available heartworm adulticide product, IMMITICIDE®, for an undetermined duration. ***This means that there is currently NO TREATMENT for heartworms!***

Because there are no other approved products available for killing adult heartworms, the American Heartworm Society Board and Scientific Committee has developed and approved the following management plan for heartworm positive dogs during this period of adulticide unavailability. While the unavailability persists, heartworm-positive dogs should be managed to achieve three primary goals:

• Reduce potential pathology from the infection.
• Maintain the health of the dog until it can be appropriately treated.
• Prevent additional heartworm infection of the dog.

These goals may be achieved by strict adherence to the following:

• Limit the activity level of the dog to reduce pathology.
• Carefully place the non-protected dog on heartworm prevention.
• Administer doxycycline to reduce pathology and infective potential of heartworms.

The Management Plan: Heartworm-Positive Dogs and Dogs Not Completing a Full Course of Adulticidal Therapy
1. Verify any positive antigen test by performing a second antigen test, sourced from a different manufacturer. If a dog is confirmed antigen positive or for dogs already initiated on, but not completed adulticidal therapy (due to product unavailability), a microfilariae test should be performed. In rare cases, the administration of heartworm preventives to microfilaremic dogs can result in shock-type reaction. For this reason professional observation is highly recommended.

• If microfilariae are detected, the dog should be pretreated with corticosteroids with or without antihistamines and then administered a dose of heartworm preventive (macrocyclic lactone).
• While all heartworm preventives affect microfilariae, the resulting immunologic reaction of the dog to the microfilariae can vary dramatically.3,4,5,6,7 Therefore dogs should be kept under clinical observation for at least 8 hours following the initial dose of heartworm preventive to allow rapid, appropriate medical treatment should a shock reaction occur.
• Anti-inflammatory pretreatment: Dexamethasone at 0.25 mg/kg intravenously and diphenhydramine at 2.2 mg/kg intramuscularly, or 1 mg/kg of prednisolone orally 1 hour before and 6 hours after administration of the first dose of preventive.
• Elimination of every single microfilaria is not the goal; the health, safety, and maintenance of the patient is the goal. Microfilariae will likely persist following preventive dosing.
• If the positive dog is already on prevention, continue regular monthly oral or topical dosing or twice yearly injections of preventives.
• If the dog is negative for microfilariae, a heartworm preventive should be administered.

2. Dogs should then be maintained continuously on heartworm preventive to limit further infection of the dog until the adulticide product is again available.

3. Dogs should also receive doxycycline at 10 mg/kg BID for 4 weeks. This dosing should be repeated quarterly until adulticide is available. (Dose may be reduced to 5 mg/kg BID if tolerance issues exist.)

• Doxycycline has been demonstrated to affect the viability of subsequent heartworm stages.
• Microfilariae will still be able to infect mosquitoes, but the infective larvae from these mosquitoes will be less capable of infecting another dog.
• The doxycycline protocol would be 1 month on, 2 months off, 1 month on, 2 months off, etc.
• The combination of macrocyclic lactone and doxycycline is proven to be more effective than macrocyclic lactones alone.
• Research studies have demonstrated macrocyclic lactone/doxycycline combinations will: shorten the life span, but not eliminate the adult worm infection, lessen the pathology associated with worm death, and disrupt heartworm transmission.

4. Restrict ALL activity of the dog! Limit ALL exercise!

•  The severity of heartworm disease is directly related to the activity level of the dog.
• As physical activity increases, pathology associated with adult heartworms increases.

5. Any dogs that are symptomatic for heartworm infection should be treated medically to relieve signs of respiratory distress. Surgical options should be weighed for dogs exhibiting cardiovascular compromise.

6. When adulticide product is again available:

•  Adult heartworms will likely persist in the dogs managed under this protocol.
• Nevertheless, dogs should be retested to revalidate the presence of an adult heartworm infection.
• If positive, the dog should be appropriately treated for adult heartworms with the approved adulticidal product.

REMEMBER THE GOALS:

1. Reduce potential pathology from the infection.
2. Maintain the health of the dog until it can be appropriately treated.
3. Prevent additional heartworm infection of the dog.

For further background information considered in development of this management protocol, refer to the American Heartworm Society’s Current Canine Guidelines under the Veterinary Resources at www.heartwormsociety.org.
This American Heartworm Society guidance statement is based upon the cumulated knowledge and expertise of the American Heartworm Society’s Board of Directors and AHS Scientific Committee experts, considering the latest information on heartworm disease, disease processes, known drug activity, and impact of these factors on disease management as of August 2011.
The American Heartworm Society needs your support. Please help us by becoming a member so that we can continue to provide information and guidance to the profession. Membership applications are available at www.heartwormsociety.org.
IMMITICIDE® is a registered trademark of Merial Limited, Duluth, GA.
©2011, American Heartworm Society. Use with acknowledgment of the American Heartworm Society.
REFERENCES
1. Dillon AR, Brawner WR, Hanrahan L. Influence of number of parasites and exercise on the severity of heartworm disease in dogs. In: Soll MD, Knight DH (eds): Proceedings of the Heartworm Symposium ’95. Batavia, IL: American Heartworm Society, 1995, p 113.

2. Fukami N, Hagio M, Okano S, et al. Influence of exercise on recovery of dogs following heartworm adulticide treatment with melarsomine, Recent Advances in Heartworm Disease: Symposium ‘98. Batavia, IL: American Heartworm Society, 1998, pp 225-227.

3. Lok JB, Knight DH, LaPaugh DA, Zhang Y. Kinetics of microfilaremia suppression in Dirofilaria immitis-infected dogs during and after a prophylactic regimen of milbemycin oxime. Proceedings of the Heartworm Symposium ‘92. Batavia, IL: American Heartworm Society, 1992, pp 143-149.

4. Courtney CH, Zeng QY, et al. The effect of chronic administration of milbemycin oxime and ivermectin on microfilaremias in heartworm-infected dogs. Recent Advances in Heartworm Disease: Symposium ‘98. Batavia, IL: American Heartworm Society, 1998, pp 193-199.

5. Neer TM, Hoskins JD. Clinical experience with ivermectin used as a microfilaricide and for prophylaxis in the dog. Proceedings of the Heartworm Symposium ‘89. Batavia, IL: American Heartworm Society, 1989, pp 95-97.

6. Blagburn BL, Paul AJ, et al. Safety of moxidectin canine SR (Sustained Release) injectable in ivermectin-sensitive collies and in naturally infected mongrel dogs. Recent Advances in Heartworm Disease: Symposium ‘01. Batavia, IL: American Heartworm Society, 2001, pp 159-163.

7. Dzimiankski MT, McCall JW, et al. The safety of selamectin in heartworm infected dogs and its effect on adult worms and microfilariae. Recent Advances in Heartworm Disease: Symposium ’01. Batavia, IL: American Heartworm Society, 2001.

8. McCall JW, Genchi C, Kramer L, et al. Heartworm and Wolbachia: Therapeutic implications
Vet Parasitol. 2008;158:204-214 (Special issue: Heartworm Revisited – Selected papers presented at the 12th Triennial Heartworm Symposium 2007).

9. Bowman DD, Atkins CE. Heartworm biology, treatment, and control. Vet Clin North Am: Small Anim Pract. 2009;39(6):1127-1158.

10. Nelson CT, McCall JW, Rubin SB, et al. Diagnosis, Prevention, and Management of Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) Infection in Dogs (2010), accessed on 5 Aug, 2011 @ http://heartwormsociety.org/veterinary-resources/canine-guidelines.html.

It CAN be easy to brush your cat’s teeth! Find out why brushing is one of the best things you can do for your cat’s health.

August Pet of the Month - Bo

Bo is a sweet, bouncy, 2 year old labradoodle who suffers from chronic Otitis Externa, otherwise known as “inflammation of the external ear canal”. This condition is often seen in our canine and feline friends. This inflammation is often indicative of underlying problems such as allergies, hereditary diseases, accumulation of wax, matted hair, debris, or a foreign object in the ear canal. If your feline or canine has this condition he or she may be in discomfort, so treatment by one of our veterinarians should be started immediately. Our doctors and staff will create a preventative action and treatment plan to provide the best quality of care for your furry friend!

How to trim your cat’s nails – the easy way! -

MPVH is currently having a towel and blanket drive! All new and used blankets and towels are accepted and will be used to help keep pets warm and dry. If you would like to donate your old or unused towels and blankets, please feel free to come on by and drop them off. Thank you so much!

Here at Meridian Park Veterinary Hospital we take great Pride in treating patients from the young to the old -